 "Photo: Courtesy of Sports Information")
The Hens baseball squad was triumphant Saturday as it earned a spot in the CAA playoffs with a win and series sweep of Virginia Commonwealth University. The team overcame obstacles to reach the playoffs in Wilmington, N.C., beginning on May 20.
"Well, we knew coming into the series we had to sweep," head coach Jim Sherman said. "We had the swine flu situation where we lost a whole weekend and that looked like it might hurt our chance of getting into the playoffs."
Northeastern University's baseball squad swept the Hens just a week before the VCU series, which put Delaware's playoff hopes in jeopardy. Before Northeastern, the Hens had not played a regular weekend series in two weeks because the UNC-Wilmington series was canceled due to swine flu.
"This weekend probably culminated into what was the best of our seasons," Sherman said. "I think it's wide open. I think we're as good as anybody."
The Delaware baseball squad faced highs and lows this season. They had eight games canceled on their schedule due to inclement weather and swine flu. Despite the lack of play, Delaware posted a 27-18 overall record, including an 11-10 CAA conference mark.
"Character-wise the team really stepped up and took it by the horns," senior catcher Ryan Reed said of the team's weekend performance. "We needed all three of these. It was a good win."
Reed has led the team in multiple facets. He helped guide a very young pitching staff and is stepping up at the plate as well.
"A lot of the [pitchers] are really smart, and they trust what I call," he said. "It helps that they have trust in me, and that they can throw their pitches for strikes and keep them down."
Reed ended the regular season with a .361 batting average, nine home runs, and 37 RBIs. Although he did not lead the team in any major offensive category, Reed was instrumental to the team's success offensively and defensively.
Freshman Rich O'Donald was the starting pitcher for the season finale and symbolized the team's season in his performance. He struggled in the first three innings, allowing three runs, but finished strong, throwing four hitless innings to end his seven hard-worked innings.
"I started the game a little shaky, but I bared down after that," O'Donald said. "I didn't have my best stuff today, but I tried to stay with it and battle."
O'Donald ended the season with a 5-3 record and a 4.18 ERA. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners out of high school, but declined the draft to come to Delaware.
The baseball season did not go as scripted in any way.
"This was as zany of a season for me given how it played out," Sherman said. "We thought maybe we blew it up at Northeastern, we hadn't played much in three weeks because of the swine flu epidemic. It's probably one of the most satisfying seasons for me, but I'm really happy for the senior class."
The seniors contributed significantly to the team's success. Defensively, Reed and senior shortstop Kyle Davis were important in the field. At the plate, seniors Bill Merkler, Jared Olson, Scott Shockley, and Chris Nehl all made significant contributions to the team's offensive power. The team averaged a .324 batting average.
In the season finale, Reed, junior Ryan Cuneo, and sophomore Pat Dameron launched home runs, which helped give Delaware a strong lead. Cuneo and Dameron's home runs were both estimated at well over 400 feet. Josh Deen flashed some leather, making a spectacular diving catch in the eighth inning to silence any VCU rally. Cory Crispell closed out the game with a strong, two-inning pitching performance as well.
Sherman summed up the confidence of his team heading into the playoffs.
"I think when we are playing our best, we are as good as anyone in this conference," he said.
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